Patent Grant
7478451
This invention relates to the art of drain cleaning apparatus and, more particularly, to an improved feed control arrangement by which a flexible snake of such apparatus can be axially advanced and retracted relative thereto during a drain cleaning operation.
It is of course well known to provide manually operable feed control devices for advancing and retracting a drain cleaning snake relative to a drain being cleaned. In some such devices, a plurality of rolls are supported in a housing, or the like, through which the snake extends, and the rolls are spaced apart about the periphery of the snake. The rolls have neutral and engaged positions relative to the snake and in which the snake, when rotated, respectively rotates in place and is axially displaced relative to the housing. In some designs, the rolls are skewed relative to the axis of the snake so as to axially displace the snake in one direction relative to the housing in response to rotation of the snake in one direction, and axial displacement of the snake in the opposite direction is achieved by reversing the direction of rotation of the snake. Examples of an arrangement of this are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,401 to Rutkowski, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,588 to Rutkowski, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,076 to Rutkowski, et al. In other designs, axial displacement of the snake in opposite directions relative to the housing is achieved by rotating the snake in just one direction and reversing the skew of the rolls relative thereto. Such an arrangement is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,276 to Babb, et al.
More recent feeding devices of the latter character are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,397 to Babb wherein the skew of the rolls is reversible by relative rotational displacement of housing members in which the rolls are supported, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,655,228 to Margherio, et al. wherein two pairs of rolls are axially spaced apart in a housing and a third roll is mounted axially therebetween and is shiftable to selectively engage the snake against one or the other of the roll sets. All of the foregoing patents are incorporated herein by reference for background information.
The power source by which a drain cleaning snake is rotated can be a handheld, crank operated drain cleaner such as shown for example in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,076 to Rutkowski, et al. a trigger actuated motor driven drain cleaner such as are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,024 to Hunt and U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,356 to Silverman, et al., or somewhat larger, ground-supported drain cleaners such as are shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,306 to Irwin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,263 to Babb, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,724 to Salecker, et al., the disclosures of which are also incorporated herein by reference for background information.
The control devices which do not require reversal of the direction of rotation of the snake in order to achieve displacement thereof in axially opposite directions are advantageous for a number of reasons. In this respect, for example, operation of the drain cleaning apparatus is made easier for the user by the latter's not having to manipulate a reversing switch for the drive motor. At the same time, however, the arrangements heretofore provided for axially displacing a snake in opposite directions without changing the direction of rotation of the snake are structurally complex and at least somewhat cumbersome to operate in requiring the user to manipulate at least one and sometimes two components to achieve reversal of the direction of the snake drive.
A snake feed control device is provided in accordance with the present invention which retains the advantages of devices heretofore available and operable to obtain reversal of the axial displacement of a snake relative to the feed device without changing the direction of rotation of the snake about its axis while minimizing or overcoming the disadvantages of such devices and providing improvements in the maneuverability and ease of operation thereof. More particularly in this respect, a feed control device in accordance with the present invention is elongate in the direction of axial displacement of the snake, providing a user friendly size and profile for the device, and comprises, basically, base and actuator members which cooperate, selectively, to provide for axial displacement of a snake in opposite directions without changing the direction of rotation of the snake. Further in this respect, one of the members is displaceable relative to the other by a simple axially directed sliding movement of the user's hand, such movement in one direction providing for advancing the snake into a drain and, in the other direction, providing for retraction of the snake from the drain. Preferably, the snake driving components are two groups of rollers axially spaced apart relative to a snake to be displaced, each group comprising a pair of rollers on one of the members and at least one roller on the other member. Displacement of a user's hand axially of the two members in one direction brings the corresponding roll set into engagement with a snake to axially displace the latter in one direction relative to the two members, and axial displacement of the user's hand in the opposite direction brings the rolls of the other group into engagement with the snake to cause displacement of the latter in the opposite direction, both displacements being achieved with rotation of the snake in just one direction about its axis.
It is accordingly an outstanding object of the present invention to provide an improved feed control device for achieving axial displacement of a drain cleaning snake in opposite directions relative to the device.
Another object is the provision of a feed control device of the foregoing character in which displacement of the snake in axially opposite directions relative thereto is achieved by an axial displacement of the user's hand in opposite directions relative to the device.
A further object is the provision of a feed control device of the foregoing character comprising a minimum number of component parts which are structurally interrelated to promote ease of operation, economy with respect to manufacture, and efficiency with regard to directional displacement of a flexible snake relative to a drain to be cleaned.
Yet another object is the provision of a feed device of the foregoing character which is operable in response to axial displacement of a user's hand in opposite directions relative to a direction of displacement of a snake relative to the device.
Still another object is the provision of a device of the foregoing character comprising axially spaced apart groups of drive rolls on relatively displaceable members of the device such that axial displacement of a user's hand in opposite directions relative to the device alternately displaces the groups of roll into driving engagement with a snake therebetween to, alternately, axially displace the snake in opposite directions relative to the device.
The foregoing objects, and others, will in part be obvious and in part pointed out more fully hereinafter in conjunction with the written description of a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention,
In the embodiment illustrated in
The feeding device can be used in a number of different ways. In this respect, for example, one or the other of the ends 12a and 12b of base 12 of the device can be attached to a flexible guide tube 40 as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,588 to Rutkowski mentioned herein. Alternatively, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,067 to Rutkowski, et al., for example, the device can be mounted on the outer end of a handheld manually operated drain cleaner. Still further, it will be appreciated that the device can be mounted on or adjacent the frame or drum of a large motor driven drain cleaning machine as well as on the outer end of a handheld motor powered drain cleaner. Additionally, while not providing the stability achieved with mounting in the foregoing manner, the device can be held in a user's hand independent of attachment directly or indirectly to a drain cleaning machine so as to achieve axial displacement of the snake relative to the device in response to rotation of the snake relative thereto.
With regard to mounting a guide tube 40 to the device ends 12a and 12b of base 12 are circular and have bridging portions 42 and 44, respectively spaced axially inwardly of the corresponding one of arcuate terminal ends 43 and 45 of the base, and the inner surfaces of the latter ends and the bridging portions, which are dramatically opposite each other, are provided with corresponding circumferentially extending ribs 46 and 48, respectively. Ribs 46 and 48 frictionally interengage with the outer surface of the guide tube which is thereby axially interengaged with the device by the pairs of ribs which cooperatively engage about the periphery of the guide tube. Other mounting arrangements can readily be devised to accommodate attachment of the feeding device to another device or apparatus.
A modification of base 12A in this embodiment resides in the provision of ribs 62 and 64 in end 12a of the base to preclude attachment of a guide hose to that end of the device. More particularly in this respect, as will be appreciated from
Actuators 74 and 76 have axially inner ends 74a and 76a, respectively, which as described hereinafter have an interengaging tongue and groove profile providing for the inner ends to overlap, and the overlapping portions and mounting plates 82 are provided with laterally aligned openings, not designated numerically, for receiving a pin 84 by which the actuators are pivotally engaged with base 72. Actuator 74 is provided on the underside thereof with a pair of drive rolls 78b and 78c in overlying relationship with roll 78a of roll set 78, and the underside of actuator 76 is provided with a pair of drive rolls 80b and 80c which overlie drive roll 80a of roll set A which is mounted on base 72. More particularly in this respect, base 72 is arcuate in cross-section adjacent the central portion thereof and is provided with a pair of spaced apart walls 83 having axially inner sides on which the corresponding one of the drive rolls 78a and 80a is mounted. As will be appreciated from
In use, a snake extends through the device, and a user can selectively depress either one of the levers 74 and 76 toward base 72 to engage the snake between the drive rolls of the corresponding roll set, whereby the snake will be axially displaced relative to the device upon rotation of the snake relative thereto and in the axial direction depending on which of the roll sets is engaged therewith. In order to reverse the direction of drive of the snake, the operator releases the one lever and pivots the other lever toward base 72, whereupon the driving rolls on the one lever are displaced from engagement with the snake and the drive rolls on the other lever are engaged with the snake to displace the latter against the corresponding drive roll on the base.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the structures and structural interrelationships between the component parts of preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that other embodiments as well as modifications of the preferred embodiments can be made without departing from the principals of the invention. In this respect, for example, it will be appreciated that each of the roll sets can be comprised of at least two rolls, one on the base and one on the actuator, or two rolls on each of the base and actuator, or a reversal of the arrangement herein illustrated which would provide two rolls on the base and one on the actuator. These and other modifications will be obvious and/or suggested from the disclosure herein. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3224024 | Hunt | Dec 1965 | A |
| 3329044 | Singer | Jul 1967 | A |
| 3394599 | Tucker | Jul 1968 | A |
| 4580306 | Irwin | Apr 1986 | A |
| 4995132 | Seitz | Feb 1991 | A |
| 5029356 | Silverman et al. | Jul 1991 | A |
| 5031263 | Babb et al. | Jul 1991 | A |
| 5031276 | Babb et al. | Jul 1991 | A |
| 5239724 | Salecker et al. | Aug 1993 | A |
| 5901401 | Rutkowski et al. | May 1999 | A |
| 6009588 | Rutkowski | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6158076 | Rutkowski et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6243905 | Rutkowski | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6343398 | Silverman | Feb 2002 | B1 |
| 6360397 | Babb | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6470525 | Silverman | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6655228 | Margherio et al. | Dec 2003 | B1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 0348799 | Jun 1989 | EP |
| 860906 | Feb 1961 | GB |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20050193508 A1 | Sep 2005 | US |
